The Diary of Philip Leget Edwards; The Great Cattle Drive from California to Oregon in 1837

San Francisco: Grabhorn Press, 1932. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. One of 500 copies, quarto size, 53 pp., Number 4 in the Rare Americana Series. Philip Leget Edwards (1812-1869) was an educator, lawyer, and legislator, and was part of the Willamette Cattle Company. During his time there he wrote this diary documenting his travels from California to Oregon in 1837, at the time "a vast undertaking when the only trails were those made by occasional trappers like Michael La Framboise, and the herds consisted of more than half-wild cattle" (quote from introduction).

This edition was published by the Grabhorn Press, one of the most highly renowned private presses in America in the twentieth century, run by brothers Edwin and Robert Grabhorn.

___DESCRIPTION: Quarter green cloth with marbled paper boards, green paper labels with gilt lettering on front and spine, fore- and bottom edges uncut, frontispiece a coloured facsimile of a lithograph of San Francisco in 1837 by John F. Vioget, title page in orange and black, one headpiece in sepia by Arvilla Parker, title and caption title printed in black and sepia; set in monotype Baskerville on Van Gelder paper, quarto size (10" by 7.5"), pagination: [i-vi] [1] 2-47, one of 500 copies, unnumbered.

___CONDITION: Just a shade below fine, the marbled paper clean and with only a slight stray mark, straight corners with minimal rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; head and tail of the spine barely beginning to rub and toning to the free endpapers (from the glue used for the pastedown endpapers); overall an about fine example.

___CITATION: Grabhorn Press Bibliography, no. 172.

___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details.

___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.